Foundation Trusts

Do you wish to know about grants provided for your home improvement initiatives? The Home Improvement Agency council provides home improvement grants to individuals allowing them to undertake various home improvement activities. Most of these grants are discretionary with the decision to provide these grants resting with local authorities. Most often they are provided to seniors or lower-income households. However, they are also provided as a way to prevent neighborhood blight.

What are the types of grant provided under Home Improvement Grants?

· Renovation Grant – Should an individual decide to renovate his home, he could apply for a Renovation Grant. In most cases, renovation grants are provided to individuals as loans which they are expected to pay back to the grant or loan-providers. The property to be renovated must meet certain criteria for a Renovation grant or a renovation loan. Some of the criteria to be met are – Property must be unstable structurally, The state of the property is in disrepair, Ineffective Waste Disposal of foul surface water.

· Disabled Facilities Grant – Should you be suffering from a medical condition which requires you to modify your home to suit your living style, you can approach the Home Improvement Agencies to provide you with the Disabled Facilities Grant. Unlike other home improvement grants, these are not discretionary. These grants are provided to people who have certain disabilities to be independent in their homes. For the application to be successful, the person applying for the Disabled Facilities Grant would need to be assessed by a certified professional approved by Social Services. The professional would approve the case depending upon inferences from the test based on which the agency can approve the provision of Disabled Facilities Grant.

· Home Repair Assistance – If you are a homeowner and have occupied your home for at least 2 years, you can apply for a Home Repair Assistance Grant. This grant is provided to individuals who wish to carry out the following activities in their homes – Electrical Repairs, Heating Systems, Roof Overhauling, Dampness Problems and other repair activities. Should you wish to apply for a Home Repair Assistance Grant, you can do so by downloading and filling out the form that is provided online by the Home Improvement Agencies and submit it for approval with the deciding authority. Should your application be approved, the work that will be done to your home would be carried out under the Housing Grants, Construction, and Regeneration Act.

Home Improvement grants allows individuals to carry out home repairs to their owned and self occupied residential property. It is not intended nor is made available to fix up rental units, and the whole purpose of the grants is to ensure for the livability and safety of the homeowners residents.

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